Hegseth Defies Impeachment Push, Defends Iran War as a Military Success
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fiercely rejected efforts to impeach him over the war against Iran, accusing his opponents of trying to punish military success and undermine President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Pentagon on November 10, Hegseth called the impeachment effort a political stunt driven by personal resentment rather than legitimate congressional oversight.
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he said, targeting Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who introduced eight articles of impeachment against him.
Hegseth argued that no defense secretary had previously faced impeachment for conducting lawful military operations, particularly ones he described as successful. Comparing his situation to Trump's two impeachments, he predicted another failure.
“If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week,” he declared.
Defending the Iran War
Hegseth insisted that the U.S. military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, would ultimately be judged more favorably than current public opinion suggests.
“We didn’t start this war. Iran did 47 years ago,” he said, reiterating his determination that Tehran would never acquire nuclear weapons.
He compared the conflict with the wars in Vietnam and Korea, arguing that Epic Fury had avoided their devastating American casualty tolls.
The Pentagon chief also rejected allegations that U.S. forces deliberately targeted civilians, calling them false. He accused critics of handing adversaries a propaganda victory by challenging military operations he considers lawful.
Hegseth defended the American operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, rejecting accusations that the former Venezuelan leader had been kidnapped.
“I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” he said.
He also contrasted his impeachment threat with the absence of similar proceedings against former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over the Afghanistan withdrawal, his undisclosed hospitalization and the Chinese surveillance balloon incident.
Vance and the Midterm Defeat
Asked whether he agreed with Vice President JD Vance that the Iran war was a major reason for Republicans' midterm election losses, Hegseth declined to assign blame.
“I respect the vice president greatly, and I’m certainly not going to exchange any finger pointing,” he said.
Massie's impeachment resolution accuses Hegseth of conducting unauthorized military operations, failing to protect civilians and abusing his authority. Hegseth rejected those allegations and warned that prosecuting civilian military leaders could ultimately expose service members to similar scrutiny.
“If they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me,” he declared.